She failed IIT twice. Took a Rs 40 lakh loan. Today, she’s working at Microsoft. Who is Priyanka Vergadia?

From facing repeated setbacks in her dream of entering IIT to earning an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School and rising to the position of Senior Director of AI Transformation at Microsoft, Priyanka Vergadia has built an inspiring story of resilience, determination, and relentless hard work. Through a heartfelt post on Instagram, she reflected on the milestones that shaped her remarkable career and personal growth over the past two decades.

She recalled how her ambitions suffered a major blow after she was unable to clear the IIT entrance examination despite trying twice. Instead of allowing disappointment to define her future, she made the bold decision to pursue higher education in the United States. In 2008, she secured an education loan of nearly ₹40 lakh to fund her master's degree, even though it meant placing her family's financial security at risk. Her father mortgaged the family's land to obtain the loan, while the airfare for her one-way journey from India to America was also financed through borrowed money. Every step of that journey carried enormous responsibility and uncertainty.

Looking back, Vergadia admitted that the emotional burden was immense, even if she did not fully comprehend it at the time. She could constantly sense the weight of expectations resting on her shoulders as her family had invested everything in her future.


Her initial months in the United States proved particularly demanding. Adjusting to an unfamiliar education system, different classroom methods, and an entirely new culture required tremendous effort. Outside academics, she had to master everyday responsibilities, including cooking meals, maintaining a household, budgeting carefully, and living independently. At the same time, the looming responsibility of repaying her education loan remained at the forefront of her mind, strengthening her determination to secure employment immediately after graduation.

Her persistence gradually began yielding results. She joined Google in 2017, published a bestselling book in 2021, moved to Microsoft in 2024 as a senior AI executive, and completed her MBA from the Wharton School in 2025, marking another significant achievement in her academic journey.

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Reflecting on nearly 25 years of perseverance, Vergadia said her accomplishments were never driven by extraordinary brilliance but by consistency, resilience, and unwavering confidence in herself. She believes that failing the IIT entrance examination twice, although devastating at the time, ultimately became the turning point that redirected her toward even greater opportunities.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Priyanka Vergadia also holds a Master's degree in Computer and Information Technology from the University of Pennsylvania, alongside her MBA from the Wharton School, highlighting a career built on continuous learning, courage, and perseverance.